Bluejays rolling along

NORTON — When people judge Norton's 2017 football season so far, Tevin Petrie cautions against fixating on just one game.

A blowout loss to rival Smith Center notwithstanding, the Bluejays have quietly put together a very solid campaign.

"I think we've been better than people think we are," said Petrie, a senior running back who leads the team in rushing and has been a lockdown cornerback for the past three years on defense. "We work hard and have a goal in mind and think about that every day in practice.

"We're humble, but we also know our potential. The Smith Center game definitely humbled us, but it doesn't define us as a team."

Since that 43-0 drubbing by the Redmen, who are ranked No. 1 in Class 2-1A, the Bluejays have reeled off a pair of lopsided victories of their own. Last week they improved to 5-1 with a convincing 35-6 decision against Colby to move back into the Journal's 3A poll at No. 10.

"I think we're doing a pretty good job," said 12th-year coach Lucas Melvin, who had to replace six starters on both offense and defense from last year's 7-4 team. "The thing is I think we've improved each week, and that's the big thing."

The Bluejays have been consistent postseason participants, reaching the 3A playoffs each of the past three years. They begin their quest for a fourth straight appearance Friday in their District 14 opener at Russell.

"We've been playing good football lately," said senior Collyn Auker, one of just two returning starters on the offensive and defensive lines. "The senior leaders, me, Jace (Ruder) and Tevin and Ryan (Johnson) have been getting everybody up in practice and getting a little emotion going."

For all its graduation losses from a year ago, which ended with a second-round playoff loss to Hoisington, Norton had plenty of talent returning. Especially on offense, where Petrie and North Carolina-bound senior quarterback Jace Ruder form a potent one-two punch.

Petrie, who rushed for 1,100-plus yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior, has 787 with 10 scores through the first six games this year, while Ruder has run for 609 and another 10 TDs.

Ruder threw for nearly 1,600 yards last year, has just 724 so far this season, but has made up for it on the ground by averaging 8.3 yards per carry. And he still has completed 54.9 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns with just three interceptions.

"We probably haven't throw as much because we had seniors in different areas," said Melvin, who lost his six leading receivers from a year ago. "(Ruder) has probably run a little more because that has worked best at the time in a game."

Petrie said Ruder's emergence as a running threat has helped both backs.

"Linebackers have been keying me pretty hard, so him stepping up with his legs has really helped the team," Petrie said.

Auker, a 6-foot-3, 250-pounder, also has anchored an offensive line that has continued to improve.

"I feel line the o-line has really has really stepped up this season," he said. "We've had a lot of young guys playing."

The new receivers also have gotten steadily better, led by sophomore Kade Melvin, the coach's son, who has a team-best 20 catches for 338 yards. Johnson has added 13 receptions for 144 yards and junior tight end Hayden Wiltfong 11 for 107.

The biggest concern defensively for the Bluejays was at linebacker, where they lost all three starters, including all-stater Jacob Green. But senior Trenton Chisham has stepped in to average 10 tackles per game, while Auker has 41 stops and four tackles for loss on the interior line and Wiltfong 34 tackles with three sacks at an end.

Petrie, Ruder and Johnson all returned in the secondary, and Melvin has stepped in to lead the team with five interceptions. Teams seldom challenge Petrie on the other side, and Ruder has four picks as the free safety.

Though outsiders may be looking a week ahead to Norton's district showdown against No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Phillipsburg, the Bluejays themselves are focused solely on 4-2 Russell.